Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the south western corner of Uganda bordering Democratic Republic Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, the park is known for its magnificent golden monkeys which are not found elsewhere and the endangered mountain gorillas. The park was gazetted in 1991 to protect the mountain gorillas that were constantly poached by the local citizens and it seats. The park is accessed via the Ntebeko entrance gate which lies 14km from Kisoro.
Mgahinga gorilla national park protects over 76 mammals species and these entail the golden monkeys, black and white Colobus, mountain gorillas, elephants, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, bush buck, Black fronted duikers plus other small predators. The park is also a haven for bird lovers as several species are recorded here. Most of the activities done by tourists here in the park include.
Gorilla tracking, Nyakagezi gorilla group is the habituated gorilla group found here in the park and it has stayed in the park over the years, over 70 mountain gorillas stay here including the large silver back commonly known as the males plus the black back females living in a group with permits costing $600 USD. Tracking starts as early as possible at 8am and visitors are encouraged to reach the park very early. After tracking, visitors are awarded certificates to appreciate their contribution towards gorilla conservation.
Golden monkey tracking, visitors cannot leave Uganda before enjoying where gold and silver meet, golden tracking is another activity that can be done from the park. At a cost of 80USDs, there is no reason as to why you don’t trek here; these were listed under the most endangered primates after the gorillas. This is a daily activity at the park and these pretty monkeys can be found in bands of over 30 monkeys well spread in their territories.
Mountain hiking, due to the fact that Mgahinga national park is where the three volcanic peaks are found, these includes Mountain Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhavura. Warm clothes, gumboots and rain gears are required here since the weather is uncertain and the place is too cold, from Ntebeko to Sabyinyo takes eight hours and its somehow tougher, from Ntebeko to Mount Gahinga takes around 6hours and among all, the challenging hike is hiking to the peak of Muhavura and it can take 9hours from the morning hours. Visitors can explore the small Crater Lake.
The Batwa trail, to those who love engaging in community tourism, the Batwa trail is the ideal activity to do here as visitors participate in the different Batwa activities including the traditional folk songs and dances, taking park in cooking the local food of the Batwa including food gathering as they also take you through their brief history and how they spend their lives.
